Notebook: If Stevenson wins Saturday, junior lightweight title shot up next
TR-Sky deal; Fury-Wilder 3 card; Shields wins MMA debut
Shakur Stevenson doesn’t know much about his next opponent, Namibia’s Jeremiah Nakathila, but he doesn’t think it’s necessary.
“I just feel like when I'm at my best it doesn't matter who the opponent is,” Stevenson said Thursday at their final pre-fight news conference. “It's been like that my whole career, since I've been an amateur. You don't know who you're going to fight in the amateurs. You come up and you just gotta fight people.”
Former featherweight world titlist Stevenson will face Nakathila for the vacant interim WBO junior lightweight title in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card Saturday (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET with preliminaries on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET) at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs), 23, of Newark, New Jersey, who is heading into his third fight at 130 pounds after vacating his featherweight title to move up in weight, is a massive favorite to defeat the unknown 31-year-old Nakathila (21-1, 17 KOs).
Nakathila has knocked out his last 10 opponents, but nobody of consequence.
Still, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, probably trying to hype the fight, said he believed Nakathila could be a dangerous opponent.
“One thing I’ve learned is never underestimate an African fighter, because even though it’s a big continent and there’s a lot of different countries, I remember when guys like the great Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi, when they came over, little-known guys, and they gave everybody a run for their money,” Arum said. “And a number of them became champions, and gave the marquee guy a lot to handle.
“For example, I remember when I did Ike Quartey against Oscar De La Hoya. A lot of people thought at the end of that fight that Quartey had pulled it out. Oscar got the decision, but African fighters come with a lot of strength, and Jeremiah, I think, will epitomize that. Now, he’s in with a very, very tough task, probably the best young fighter in the world in Shakur Stevenson. But he’s going to give it a go, and I think it’ll be a very, very exciting fight.”
Stevenson is the mandatory challenger for 130-pound titleholder Jamel Herring but he stepped aside to allow Herring to face Carl Frampton in an optional defense on April 3. Herring knocked out Frampton in the sixth round and sent him into retirement.
While waiting for the fight with Herring (23-2, 11 KOs), Stevenson took Saturday’s fight. If he wins, Top Rank is planning for Herring-Stevenson in the fall.
Like many, Arum views Stevenson as a future pound-for-pound candidate thanks to his superb speed, skills and defensive prowess.
“A lot of experts say he in the coming years will be the face of boxing,” Arum said. “We'll see how he does against a tremendous puncher that he'll face on Saturday. Every fight at this level is a tough fight. Nobody is a walk in the park.”
Stevenson is trying not to look too far ahead even though he’s been vocal about wanting to fight for the WBO junior lightweight title. If he wins Saturday, Stevenson will get that shot and then aims to face WBC titlist and fellow Top Rank fighter Oscar Valdez in a unification bout Top Rank wants to make next year.
“It feels good knowing that Bob thinks I'm the next superstar of the sport, and I have to live up to the hype,” said Stevenson, who sparred with welterweight titlist Terence Crawford in camp. “At the end of the day, I listen (to the hype), but you can't get too hot. You still gotta complete the task. I try to stay in between. I don't try to listen to everything I hear and go off that. I try to make sure I do what I'm supposed to do. My preparation was good. My weight is good. I'm ready to fight Saturday.”
In the co-feature, former two-division world titlist Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (28-3, 13 KOs), 32, of Puerto Rico, will fight Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), 26, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, in a 10-rounder.
Top Rank, Sky make deal
It did not take long for Sky Sports to find a new provider for its boxing programming in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It will be promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank, which will replace Matchroom Boxing.
Matchroom Boxing has had an exclusive deal with Sky Sports since 2012 but that deal expires at the end of June and it announced last week that it has finalized a five-year deal with sports streaming service DAZN for its U.K. and Irish broadcast rights that begins in July.
Now all of Top Rank’s ESPN events — at least 18 per year through August 2025 — will also air live on Sky Sports, beginning with Saturday’s Shakur Stevenson-Jeremiah Nakathila card in Las Vegas. Top Rank will also put on live events in the U.K. in conjunction with British promoter Ben Shalom’s BOXXER.
The deal was officially announced on Friday.
“For decades, Sky has been the leading sports brand in the U.K.,” Top Rank President Todd duBoef said. “The world's biggest sporting events and boxing matches have been cultivated under the Sky banner. Top Rank is honored to partner with Sky to continue to grow the sport both locally and globally for years to come.”
I wrote about the deal earlier this week with many details for World Boxing News. Please read that story here: https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2021/06/10/sky-sports-top-rank-uk-deal/amp
Shields wins MMA debut
Three-division boxing champion Claressa Shields, the reigning undisputed women’s junior middleweight champion, made her MMA debut in style on Thursday night, notching a comeback third-round knockout of Brittney Elkin in the ESPN2-televised 155-pound main event of PFL 4 at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Shields, whose goal is to be the first fighter, male of female, to hold boxing and MMA world titles at the same time, looked like she was in deep trouble after Elkin convincingly won the first two rounds by easily taking her to the ground.
Shields, who has had only about seven months of MMA training, is not strong in terms of her ground game, but she remained calm and poised and managed to survive her time on the mat, including an attempted arm bar from Elkin (3-7), 35, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist from Westminster, Colorado.
“She had me on the ground, but she couldn’t hurt me,” Shields said. “Her punches didn’t hurt me. She tried to get me in me an arm bar and that didn’t hurt me.”
Shields said she knew she was behind going into the final round.
“I may have lost these (first) two rounds, but I’m not losing this fight,” Shields said of her thoughts going into the decisive third round.
When Elkin got her to the mat again, Shields recovered and took command. Kneeling over Elkin on the mat, Shields bashed her repeatedly with right hands to the face until referee Gasper Oliver stopped the fight at 1 minute, 44 seconds.
Shields (1-0, 1 KO), 26, of Flint, Michigan, and a two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist, was ecstatic.
“I feel like I am dreaming,” Shields said. “This is crazy.”
Shields, whose preparation included training with UFC star Jon Jones and former UFC and boxing champion Holly Holm, admitted she was taking a gamble moving into MMA.
“I never doubted myself winning a boxing match in my life,” she said. “MMA, it’s like it’s possible I can lose this first fight. I just had a never-quit attitude every round.”
Fury-Wilder III undercard
When heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and former titleholder Deontay Wilder meet for the third time on July 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the main event will be accompanied by a trio of other heavyweight fights on the undercard of the pay-per-view broadcast.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum outlined the undercard with his thoughts on the bouts and working with Premier Boxing Champions on the event for a story I wrote for World Boxing News.
In the co-feature, PBC will put on a rematch between Robert Helenius and Adam Kownacki. Before that bout, two rising contenders will meet when Top Rank’s Efe Ajagba squares off with PBC’s Frank Sanchez. Top Rank will put on top prospect Jared Anderson in the opening bout against Vladimir Treshkin in a scheduled eight-rounder.
Arum and I also discussed the reason for the fight being at T-Mobile instead of the initial plan to have it at Allegiant Stadium, where the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders play. Please read that story here: https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2021/06/10/exclusive-arum-fury-deontay-wilder-card/
Canelo, Matchroom, DAZN series
Unified super middleweight world champion and pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez’s Canelo Promotions, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and DAZN announced they have partnered for a series of four boxing events that DAZN will stream from Mexico.
The first card will be headlined by WBC flyweight titlist Julio Cesar Martinez defending against Joel Cordova at the Arena Alcade in Guadalajara, on June 26. Three more events from Mexico will follow over the next year.
“This is a great chance for Mexican fighters to follow their dreams,” Alvarez said in making the announcement. “Sometimes our champions have to travel internationally to defend their belts and land opportunities. We plan on providing those opportunities in Mexico and giving young fighters the chance to develop and change their lives.”
Added Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s manager and trainer, “I am very proud to bring this exciting new project to Mexico and these new opportunities for our fighters. There is so much talent in our country and these new shows will allow our champions to defend their belts on home soil and our prospects to get the chance to continue to grow.”
Martinez (17-1, 13 KOs), 26, of Mexico, will make his third title defense after pulling out of a defense against McWilliams Arroyo on the undercard of Alvarez’s fight with Avni Yildirim in February due to a hand injury suffered during fight week.
“I am so happy to be able to fight again and make a much-anticipated comeback,” Martinez said. “I am even more excited to be able to fight in my home country of Mexico and defend my title here. I am very motivated to reignite my career on such a platform.”
Martinez will face countryman Cordova (12-4-2, 3 KOs), 26, who will be taking a major step up in opposition.
“I’ve waited for this opportunity for so long that I won’t waste my chance to fulfill my dreams of becoming world champion,” Cordova said. “Maybe I’m not known by many, but after June 26, many will know my name. I know Martinez is a solid champion, but strength is not the only thing needed to win. It requires motivation, desire and there’s no one who can beat me in those. I have waited my whole life for this moment.”
In the co-feature, Daniel Matellon (11-0-2, 6 KOs), 33, a Cuba native fighting out of Panama, will make the first defense of his secondary junior flyweight title against former strawweight titlist Jose Argumedo (24-4-1 15 KOs), 32, of Mexico.
Munguia unfazed by switch
Former junior middleweight titlist Jamie Munguia has rolled with the punches of a date change and four opponent changes for his 12-round middleweight fight that will headline Golden Boy’s DAZN card on June 19 at University of Texas at El Paso’s Don Haskins Center.
First, Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs), 24, of Mexico, was supposed to fight Poland’s Maciej Sulecki on April 23 but Sulecki pulled out with a back injury and replaced by D’Mitrius Ballard. Then Ballard suffered an elbow injury and also pulled out, forcing the card to be postponed until June 19. Sulecki came back in as the opponent on the new date and then last week he pulled out again for reasons that were not announced. And now he has officially been replaced by Kamil Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs), 31, of Poland. Golden Boy and DAZN formally announced Szeremeta as the opponent on Friday.
“I have a lot of experience when it comes to opponent changes,” Munguia said. “Obviously, it’s different at this level because the preparation is stronger and more strategic. However, I take it very calmly and we are going to make the necessary adjustments to walk away with our hand raised in victory on June 19.”
Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya gave Munguia credit for his professionalism in dealing with the date and opponent switches.
“I take my hat off to Jaime Munguia because he has remained calm and focused on his fight on June 19 despite so many changes,” De La Hoya said. “I am confident that he will make all the necessary changes and adjustments in order to walk away with his hand raised in victory.”
Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs), 31, of Poland, who is coming off a one-sided beat down by middleweight titlist Gennadiy Golovkin in December, jumped at the chance to fight Munguia when offered even though it is on short notice.
“I am delighted to be returning in such an important fight against Jaime Munguia,” Szeremeta said. “I understand the situation. Fight night is less than two weeks away. However, I’ve been preparing for an opportunity like this, and I will make sure to take it advantage of it. I will score the upset against Munguia.”
Quick hits
Showtime will debut two editions of it’s behind the scenes show “All Access” on Friday night. First up is the first of two episodes following the buildup to the Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios fight at 8 p.m. ET. Episode two of premieres June 19 at 8 p.m. ET, one week before Davis-Barrios will air on Showtime PPV from Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The debut of “All Access: Davis vs. Barrios” will immediately be followed by the premiere of “All Access: Charlo vs. Montiel,” a one-shot episode previewing the fight between middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo and Juan Macias Montiel, who meet on June 19 at the Toyota Center in Charlo’s hometown of Houston.
Plans are in the works for British heavyweight contender Joe Joyce (12-0, 11 KOs), 35, to return to headline a card either on July 24 or July 31 in London with former world title challenger Carlos Takam (39-5-1, 28 KOs), 40, of France, the likely opponent, sources with knowledge of the talks told Fight Freaks Unite. Joyce scored his biggest win in November when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in the 10th round to win the vacant European title. Joyce’s next fight was supposed to be against Oleksandr Usyk for the vacant WBO interim world title but that fell through when Usyk got his mandatory shot at Anthony Joshua after Joshua’s planned undisputed title fight with Tyson Fury was scrapped.
Weights from Las Vegas for Saturday’s Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card: Shakur Stevenson 129.6 pounds, Jeremiah Nakathila 129.4 (for vacant WBO interim junior lightweight title); Jose Pedraza 139.8, Julian Rodriguez 141.4; Tyler McCreary 131.6, Manuel Rey Rojas 131.6; John Bauza 140, Christon Edwards 140.4; Xander Zayas 147.4, Larry Fryers 144.6; Bryan Lua 131.4, Frevian Gonzalez 131.8; Troy Isley 156.8, LaQuan Evans 156; Kasir Goldston 142, Maurice Anthony 142; Jahi Tucker 146, Ysrael Barboza 146.4.
Warriors Boxing announced it is has signed junior middleweight Kevin Salgado (13-0, 9 KOs), 23, of Mexico, to a co-promotional contract with Davies Entertainment. “I am blessed. I am very emotional and humbled, and I can't wait to fight,” said Salgado, who plans to fight in the United States after having all of his bouts so far in Mexico. Salgado is the younger brother of former two-time junior lightweight world titlist Juan Carlos Salgado, who retired in 2018.
Former flyweight title challenger Jay Harris (18-1, 9 KOs), 30, of Wales, will meet Ricardo Sandoval (18-1, 13 KOs), 22, of Rialto, California, on June 25 (ESPN+) in Bolton, England, in an IBF flyweight title eliminator for the right to become the mandatory challenger for world titlist Sunny Edwards, MTK Global announced. Also on the card, former world titleholders Paul Butler (32-2, 15 KOs), 32, of England, and Joseph Agbeko (38-5, 28 KOs), 44, of Ghana, will meet in a 10-round bantamweight fight.
The WBA has ordered junior flyweight titlist Hiroto Kyoguchi, 27, of Japan, and secondary titleholder Esteban Bermudez, 25, of Mexico, to face each other next. It sent a notice to Kyoguchi promoter Matchroom Boxing and Bermudez promoter Greg Cohen notifying them that they have 30 days, until July 11, to negotiate the fight or a purse bid will be ordered. Kyoguchi (15-0, 10 KOs) would be entitled to 65 percent of the money in a purse bid and Bermudez would get 35 percent.
Show and tell
After journeyman Kevin McBride knocked out former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in the sixth round, Tyson said his heart was no longer in boxing and he immediately announced his retirement, although he would eventually box in two exhibitions. One was years ago against Corey “T-Rex” Sanders and the other was in November against Roy Jones Jr. The fight with McBride took place in Washington, D.C., and since I live in the region, I spent a lot of time with Tyson in the lead-up to the fight when he was training in the city. The fight was on June 11, 2005 — 16 years ago on Friday. I could post photos of stuff I have from the fight, including the program, various posters and my ringside credential. Instead, here’s a photo from one of the media events for the fight that somebody took and later sent to me. I wish I could remember who took but I have no idea. But I’ve always liked it, and not just because my hair was still brown instead of gray.
Stevenson-Nakathila photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Shields photo: PFL
Great info Dan! Especially the full undercard on fury vs wilder 3, it’s a fun A+ undercard…George & Jerry want to know if there is any chance of the Friday noon chats returning?
Sky/Top Rank is great news for UK fight fans [assuming they have Dazn too]. Anyone who's seen the recent TR shows will appreciate this.
Fury/Wilder undercard looks exciting!